“Moon Embracing the Sun” is a historical fantasy about a shaman who returns to court to reclaim her place as queen. It is a story of forbidden love, palace intrigue, and a curse that refuses to die. The show runs 20 episodes across 10 weeks, airing Wednesdays and Thursdays at 21:55 on MBC, and it holds a 7.9 out of 10 on TMDB.
A Dead Woman Returns
The drama opens with a royal assassination. A-ri, a shaman of the Royal Star Mansion, witnesses the murder of the crown prince’s stepson. Pregnant with the murdered man’s child, she escapes with help from the palace’s Chief Scholar. She vows to protect the unborn child, who she believes has a noble fate.
Years later, that child, Heo Yeon-woo, returns to court as a trained shaman. She falls in love with Crown Prince Lee Hwon, while his older half-brother, Prince Yangmyung, also loves her. Yeon-woo does not return Yangmyung’s feelings.
The Queen Dowager wants to keep her clan’s power by making Yoon Bo-kyung, the daughter of the Prime Minister and her blood relative, the Crown Princess. The King, impressed by Yeon-woo’s intelligence, chooses her instead. This decision infuriates the Queen Dowager and Prime Minister Yoon. The Queen Dowager secretly orders the shaman Jang Nok-yeong to cast a deadly curse on the new Princess.
Yeon-woo is diagnosed with an unidentifiable illness, expelled from the palace, and loses her title. She is declared dead, buried alive, and dug out by Nok-yeong. The spell only mimics death. But Yeon-woo, traumatized by being buried alive, has lost all her memories. She leaves the capital with Nok-yeong.
The Two Leads Carry the Weight
Kim Soo-hyun plays King Lee Hwon, a man whose grief for his dead love never fully leaves him. His performance anchors the final stretch of the series, where he struggles to hold onto a kingdom while mourning a woman he believes is dead. The younger version of Lee Hwon, played by Yeo Jin-goo, is less memorable but still effective in establishing the bond between the Crown Prince and Yeon-woo.
Han Ga-in plays Heo Yeon-woo, later known as Shaman Wol. Her journey from innocent girl to powerful shaman is the heart of the show. Her scenes with Nok-yeong, played by Song Jae-hee, carry some of the strongest emotional weight in the series. The younger Yeon-woo, played by Kim You-jung, is charming but less central to the plot.
Jung Il-woo plays Prince Yangmyung, a man who loves Yeon-woo but cannot win her. His role is smaller than the other leads, but he brings a genuine sense of tragedy to a character whose love is unrequited.
A Curse That Refuses to Die
The curse at the center of the story is a constant threat. It hangs over Yeon-woo’s life, driving her from the palace. The show spends significant time on the aftermath of the curse, showing how it shapes every character’s choices.
The conflict between the Queen Dowager and the King is also compelling. Their struggle for power is not just about personal ambition; it is about who controls the future of the dynasty. The show draws out this tension across its 20 episodes, building to a climax that tests everyone involved.
A Slow Burn That Pays Off
The show’s pacing is uneven. The early episodes, which establish the backstory, move slowly. They are dense with exposition and can feel heavy. But once Yeon-woo returns to court, the drama picks up sharply.
The middle stretch, where Yeon-woo is expelled and presumed dead, is where the show finds its rhythm. The scenes of her trauma and her memory loss are handled with care, even though the resolution is somewhat rushed.
The final episodes, with Lee Hwon on the throne and Yeon-woo back in court as Shaman Wol, are the strongest part of the series. The romance, the politics, and the curse all converge in a satisfying way. The show earns its ending after a slow start.
The 7.9 Score
“Moon Embracing the Sun” is a solid, if uneven, historical fantasy. Its strengths are its performances and its emotional payoff. Its weaknesses are a slow beginning and a few loose threads in the plot. The show deserves its reputation as a standout entry in its genre.
The show won the Best Drama award and Best Actor award for Kim Soo-hyun at the 48th Baeksang Arts Awards, and multiple awards at 2012 MBC Drama Awards, including Drama of the Year and Actor of the Year for Kim Soo-hyun. Those accolades reflect the strength of the lead performances, even if the overall production sometimes falls short of the acting.
The Numbers
- Network: MBC
- Seasons: 1 season, 20 episodes
- First aired: January 4, 2012
- Last aired: March 15, 2012
- Peak rating: 42.2%
- TMDB score: 7.9/10
Final Word
“Moon Embracing the Sun” is a drama that rewards patience. Its slow start is worth pushing through, because the payoff in the final episodes is strong. The curse, the romance, and the palace politics all come together in a satisfying conclusion. It is not a perfect show, but it is a rewarding one.
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